


Over Morning Coffee

by KucatsHouse



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, Post-Book 6: City of Heavenly Fire, Post-Book Series: The Mortal Instruments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 03:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18512548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KucatsHouse/pseuds/KucatsHouse
Summary: Alec spends some quiet time out of his morning to observe Magnus at work.





	Over Morning Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by rivlee  
> Characters and original concept the property of Cassandra Clare.  
> I take no credit for the "Better Than Gandalf" mug. It appears in The Bane Chronicles: What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway).
> 
> For Shadowhunters(TV) readers: while I hope you enjoy this little story, please note that the basis is the Mortal Instruments book series. As such, it may contain aspects and references from the books, such as Magnus' height, Alec's age and coloring, Chairman Meow, and mentions of past events.

He never said it before - and if asked he would deny everything - but one of Alec’s favorite moments of the day was breakfast. The day was just beginning; there were no emergencies, no demons attacking (usually). Nothing but calm, quiet, and coffee.

_Breakfast is the most important meal of the day._

It was a popular mundane saying, but Alec knew it was also something Magnus uttered frequently. And the warlock meant it. Magnus always made a point of having an actual meal at breakfast. The meal was usually elaborate - Magnus never did anything simple. There were usually eggs, some form of carbohydrate, copious amounts of fruits, juice, and coffee. Lots of coffee. It didn’t matter if a client was waiting, or if Alec had been called into the Institute. Everything took a back seat to breakfast. 

Okay, maybe not everything. A Greater Demon terrorizing New York topped a sit down meal. 

In the early days of their relationship, sharing breakfast was an infrequent occurrence. There were the occasional days when Alec visited in the early dawn hours and hadn’t eaten yet. Magnus would sit him down and they would enjoy the meal together. Once or twice, Jace would interrupt midway with some urgent need to patrol. On one such occasion, the meal hadn’t yet started and Magnus had to physically prevent Alec from leaving out the door.

_“I don’t need food!” Alec had protested, trying to push Magnus aside. “The city needs to be protected! Jace is waiting!”_

_“The city and Jace can wait another 30 damn minutes!” Magnus had shot back, forcing Alec bodily into a chair. “The last thing the city needs is you passing out from low blood sugar!”_

Alec had scowled and begrudgingly eaten in awkward, angry silence. But, Shadowhunters needed their energy and Alec had to admit that breakfast certainly made him sharper and a little less temperamental during the day. It didn’t take long until the morning meal was something he looked forward to.

But what Alec loved most about breakfast was watching Magnus.

Once the food was consumed, the warlock would clear his table space of all remaining crumbs and jam drops and read. The material itself always changed. Some days it was the local mundane newspaper or the latest fashion magazine; other days it was client contracts or some ancient manuscript sent to him. Magnus never read during breakfast, only afterwards. He was fastidious about his documents, never allowing a stray crumb or sticky syrup near. The only exception would be a hot cup of coffee Magnus would nurse as his eyes darted over the writing. Even though they shared breakfast together most mornings and talked often through the meal, Magnus could become so engrossed in his reading that he would forget Alec was there. As such, he never noticed how closely his boyfriend watched him. 

Alec observed Magnus liked he observed all things: with intent and purpose. He sat across the breakfast table, calloused fingers wrapped around his plain white diner-style mug, steam rising slowly. Blue eyes would follow the motion of the warlock’s fingers, long and slim, as they deftly turned page after page. Black polished nails would sometimes follow a line of text. Magnus would occasionally mouth the words as he read them. Now and again, blue sparks would appear from his fingertips at his frustration or impatience. 

Today, Magnus sat back in his chair, wrapped in a green silk robe and matching pants, reviewing a contract from a mundane client. Alec didn’t know much about the contract other than it was from a rich CEO type and required the usual demon summoning to curse a rival company. Based on the number of blue sparks that had already been produced, Magnus was not very keen on the terms and conditions outlined in the contract. Alec smiled into his mug as Magnus began to scowl. He snapped his fingers impatiently. The faint sounds of scratching could be heard as an invisible pen began rewriting the offending term.

“That is far too little compensation for a summoning of that caliber,” Magnus muttered to no one in particular before turning a page. “The potential damage to my furniture alone wouldn’t be covered with that abysmal sum.” He snapped his fingers a couple more times. More scratching followed until the warlock was satisfied with the conditions. 

Without looking up from the text, Magnus reached for his coffee, forgetting he had brushed it aside previously to make more room for the documents. The blue BETTER THAN GANDALF mug was just out of reach but he was too engrossed to notice. Ringed fingers kept groping for the mug handle, but his cat eyes never lifted from the paper in front of him. Leaning forward slightly, Alec nudged the mug closer until Magnus was able to grasp the handle. The warlock didn’t seem to realize, instead lifting the mug to his lips and taking a long, thoughtful sip. 

After a while, Alec gathered both mugs to refill them. Turning off the coffee maker, he pressed Magnus’ mug into his hand and reclaimed his seat. Magnus still didn’t look up or seem to realize what Alec had done. Alec never minded the lack of acknowledgement. It wasn’t often that he got to watch Magnus without being watched back. 

Also, considering how much of a coffee snob Magnus was, it was nice to see him drinking the coffee Alec made each morning. Granted, the beans were bought at one of the finest coffee shops in New York; all the same, it was still nice.

When he was satisfied with the contract, Magnus made a flourishing motion and his signature appeared, the curving looping script forming in iridescent ink. The color of ink changed with Magnus’ mood. Some days it was metallic gold for the richest clients; other times he used a crimson red - which, if it weren’t for the glitter, looked alarmingly like blood - when certain problem clients needed to be reminded of his demon heritage. Today it was a shimmering deep blue with flecks of silver.

“You’ve been using that color lately,” Alec remarked as Magnus stuffed the contract into a thick envelope. Now that the table was clear again, Chairman Meow hopped up, rubbing his head against Magnus’ arm before padding over to Alec.

“I rather fancy it,” Magnus replied, giving the Chairman a little pat. The envelope sealed itself before sailing across the loft to land atop the outgoing mail stack. “It’s quite an outstanding color.”

“It’s like the color of your magic.”

It was Magnus’ turn to smile into his coffee. For a long moment, he sipped his brew, watching Alec scratch Chairman Meow under the chin. “The color of my magic isn’t the only reason I like it.” He chuckled at the quizzical look on Alec’s face. Finishing his coffee, Magnus rose to his feet. He reached forward, cupping Alec’s cheek in his hand, thumb grazing an arched cheekbone beneath those blue eyes he loved.

“You can be so oblivious sometimes,” Magnus murmured. He leaned forward, capturing Alec’s lips with his. He could taste blackberry jam, sugar, and coffee in the kiss. Alec responded in kind, flicking his tongue against Magnus’s lower lip, eliciting a quiet sigh. When they parted, their faces were slightly flushed, breaths a touch short. Magnus grinned, continuing with his earlier train of thought, “But that’s one of the things I love about you.” He placed a tender kiss on Alec’s crown before turning from the table.

Alec watched as Magnus headed back to the bedroom to get ready for the day. Silk and muscle rippled as Magnus stretched his lean arms overhead. Just as he reached the doorway, the neck of his robe slipped, revealing a deep red mark at the junction of shoulder to neck. Alec grinned to himself at the sight of it, memories of the previous night coming to mind.

He sat there a moment longer, finishing his coffee and stroking the Chairman’s fur, the sounds of New York in the morning filtering through the windows. Taking one last swallow, Alec stood, gathered the dishes, and placed them in the sink. He stretched, working out his back muscles, before going to get ready for another day of demon hunting.


End file.
